The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-07-17
TO LIVE A HUNDRED YEARS.
n MAN WHO DIES At EIGHTY DIES
TWENTY YEARS TOO YOUNG.
Leuis Cornnre. Given Up by the Doctors NJ
40, Lived to be 10O-Thomas Weeds
Cnss-How to Die . Natural Death.

lives OF philosophers be compared with those
OF kings and great mon meaning great warri-
ors rulers, and 80 forth. It would almost seom
as 1.-THE life OF sage were proportioned differ
emily from the lives Of other men. For" he
says, I'VE find that the generality Of these wise
men were nearer q 100 than 60 years OF age at
the time Of their respective Deaths" He at
tributes the difference to tho temperance and
even abstemiousness which most OF tho ancient
sages practised. which philosophers OF modern
times have recognized as involving the true
secret Of longevity.
But II It really Is tho case that by wise
regimen and by diet 30 moderate as to ap-
pear ascetic men may attain to fivescore
years instead Of tho fourscore which the an-
Client Hebrew describes as tho extreme limit
OF life. then we shall have to admit that tho
lives Of all mon who attain but to fourscore
years are in reality cut short by careless liv-
ing-at least where there 10 no especial con-
stitutional defect to abridge the natural life.
II this should. on inquiry, appear to be the
case. difficulty which has long perplexed
psychologists would DO removed. Limiting
our attention TO mammals. We find that In all
species except man the duration Of life. apart
from accident, exceeds about avefold the
time In which maturity Is attained. This Is
OF OF lie and The interval betWe wee r Birth and
a%staT.y The lay f. solsssHy Hni FIJI The
Beyond twenty While the Eggplant H
Qulres full twenty years to attain his full
81 ourselves, however Who require the same
longer. to attain our, full Development, il has
years are threescore and ten. and though men
be 80 strong that they live fourscore years. yet
is their strength then but labor and sorrow. so
npa
PsaImist this particular Psalm Is attributed
to Moses, would probably have modified his
English Gladstone. the moulder Of q state's
DEGREES !te say nothing Of his stalwart
sSn P%s hn'i 81 hs bsh Whsh
R ss past Such s ss and
show that the Psalmist's rule does npt now
hod may haze 6esR the
statesman, and the warrior. Tho same age
ss sss s, Sns Ss
ioss The philanthropist Montehore. who also
The common idea is. however, that longevity
depends entirely on Inherited constitution.
It is not impr abie. and the point seems worth
ssssly rather Than a! dSsssly y
because be inherits ,constltutlonal peculiar
10
abstinence by which life Is prolonged, or even
simply because temperance and abstinence
ample and by precept.
the question 81 Longevity from
has so1s most
tive, becomes full also OF endorsement.
In the first place. It must be remembered
the year l467j was man Of weak eonstitu-
t0n 4 oP r. the age 81 70
Would haVe the
constitution. Life at thirty,ave was bur.
den to him because Of the disorders brought
pna The nea n
passed In almost unremitted suffering. He was
s1a By s plns his ore
rs%aned % LIN ' @ish. = ,s.s nsiaiui than
was q case where Inherited constitution and
e. bu AZ fy
out that, If ever there was case where the
life; preserving influence Of wise regimen and
naros must be cited as especially significant
At the age Of 40 Cornaro began gradually to
solid, which he took each day till at length he
He, tells us that at first he found this severe
pots q Egypt. But BY resuming his efforts
year in adopting permanently . spare
%as s already, restored t9 perfect health health
the counsels Of the physicians some
what more steadily than they expected or than
is IN such and VIII S Sn
recovered his health that he went on to those
experiments by which he seemed to show how
iif , may be extended FAR beyond the fsalmists
From temperance he proceeded d to sbst St nj
he Unfinished his daily allowance Of food
1nt at last The yok Of On egg sndss pd him In
health and spirits kept Improving. Nay, he
tells that his bs In eating tin had
pleasure from IN small meal Of dry broad than
he had ever obtained in the days Of his OK
table: As regards regimen, Cornaro, simply
avoided extremes Of heat and cold, over
fatigue Late hours sa1H and al
pleasures were those obtained from literary
fine scenery. noble buildings, beautiful COM
binations OF color. and sweet music.
When Cornaro was within two years Of four;
score his diet was regulated, in quality and
quantity, az follows: In four meals he took
each day twelve ounces In all OF solid food.
I DTeuu tsldlo, Vi cOuTbe' H0 was
not weak-mindedl light meat. yolk OF egg.
and soup; OF liquid food other than pure water
he took fourteen ounces Of light wine. Thus
his solid food, equally divided among four
meals, amounted only to three ounces per
meal, while he took per meal about three and
one half ounces or as nearly as possible one
third Of a tumblerful Of claret or some other
wine OF the kind.
1t must be noted. however. that this ex-
treme abstemiousness. as well rs the special
nature OF the food, solid and LIQUID. consumed
by Cornaro, must not be regarded as abso-
lutely essential parts OF his experience. so
far as longevity Is concerned. We may rea-
sonaby attribute his exceeding sensitive
ness IN regard to food to Pecullartties Of con-
etitution. He tells US that his medical friends,
deemnR his allowance too small, urged him to
add two ounces daily to his solid, and as many
to his LIQUID food, o change which he adopted
for while but had presently to discontinue.
because his viyacity was DESTROYED and he was
becoming peevish and melancholy. But this,
while It shows that Cornaro was exceptionally
sensitive, and had probably a very weak CON
stitution, only strengthens the evidence which
his case supplies as to the advantage OF tenn
perance and oven abstemiousness. II ono so
weak could live the life Of a very strong
and hearty man merely by reducing his
food to what many would call "starva-
ton point" what resources there must be In
an abstemous life for those OF strong constitu-
tion who shorten their lives by what most mon
all II. L. A a INa